United States

China

Economics

Politics

U.S.-China Relations

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the United States will impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods on top of existing tariffs, effective Nov. 1 or sooner, in response to new Chinese export licensing requirements announced the previous day, the president said in an Oct. 10 Truth Social post.

U.S., China: Trump Announces New 100% Tariff on China, Export Controls on Critical Software

Taiwan

Military & Security

Taiwanese President William Lai gave a speech on Oct. 10, Taiwan's National Day, during which he significantly toned down anti-China and pro-sovereignty rhetoric compared with his 2024 speech, though he still urged China to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. 

Taiwan, China: Lai Tones Down China Rhetoric, Focuses on Economy

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened in an Oct. 10 Truth Social post to levy high tariffs or export curbs on China in response to Beijing's recent expansion of rare earth export curbs. 

U.S., China: Trump Threatens Retaliation for China's Expanded Rare Earth Curbs

Mexico

Mexican lawmakers will pause until late November discussions around President Claudia Sheinbaum's proposal to impose up to 50% tariffs on 1,400 imported goods from China and other Asian countries with which Mexico does not have a free trade agreement, Bloomberg reported Oct. 9.  

Mexico: Congress Pauses Discussions on Tariffs Targeting Chinese Goods

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The United States is considering issuing an "initial determination" that TP-Link Systems poses a national security threat, which could pave the way for a ban or restriction of the Shenzhen-based company's U.S. operations, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 9.

U.S., China: U.S. Considering Initial Determination That China's TP-Link Poses National Security Threat

China's Ministry of Commerce on Oct. 9 released licensing requirements for exports by Chinese domestic entities of rare earth processing technologies and for overseas exports (including by foreign companies) for which Chinese rare earths comprise at least 0.1% of the value.

China: New Rare Earth Export Controls Seek To Regulate Foreign Production

North Korea

Vietnam

Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, where both pledged to deepen Party, parliamentary and local exchanges; expand cooperation in culture, education, health, tourism and communications; and coordinate more closely in multilateral forums, Bao Chinh Phu reported on Oct. 9.

Vietnam, North Korea: Lam, Kim Hold Talks in Pyongyang

Cambodia

Malaysia

Thailand

U.S. President Donald Trump is pressing Malaysia, chair and host of the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations' leaders summit on Oct. 26, to grant him a ceremonial Thailand-Cambodia peace signing, Politico reported on Oct. 7.

U.S., Malaysia: Trump Conditions ASEAN Summit Participation on Peace Ceremony

Assessments

Japan

South Korea

Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected LDP leader, on Oct. 4 in Tokyo.

Takaichi will lean into populism, spurring near-term growth but exacerbating long-term economic challenges, while her nationalism will bolster Japan's military and boost U.S. ties even as it strains those with Japan's neighbors.

Japan's Conservative Takaichi Set To Become Next Prime Minister

Iran

Russia

The U.N. Security Council holds a meeting on Iran at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, on Sept. 19, 2025. 

Energy

U.S.-Iran Relations

The increased isolation will make Iran more reliant on China and Russia, while the added economic strain could fuel domestic protests and empower Iranian hard-liners calling for more aggressive action against the West.

U.N. Sanctions Snapback: What's Next for Iran?

Snapshots

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrives for trade talks with US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent at the foreign ministry in Madrid on Sept. 14, 2025.

A Trump-Xi phone call and a fourth round of U.S.-China trade talks have yielded few concrete results, showing that negotiations on trade and TikTok will remain slow-going.

Despite Trump-Xi Phone Call, U.S.-China Trade Talks Struggle To Gain Traction

Flag of China on a red-painted printed circuit board.

Advancements in China's semiconductor sector are reducing Chinese companies' reliance on foreign technology, enabling them to push back more firmly against Western hegemony.

China's Chip Advances Increase Beijing's Leverage in Talks With the U.S.

Kazakhstan

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev waits to greet foreign leaders during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 4, 2024.

Despite President Tokayev's reform proposals, Kazakhstan's succession process will remain vulnerable to destabilizing forces, including elite rivalries and foreign influence.

How Kazakhstan's Proposed Reforms Will Impact the Question of Succession

India

Participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025 pose for photos in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Global Trade

U.S. trade uncertainty will help China deepen trade ties with its Central Asian neighbors and infrastructure ties with Russia, but its relations with India will remain inhibited by border disputes and differing defense priorities.

China Positions Itself as Growth Catalyst for Central Asia at SCO Summit

Ecuador

Ukraine

Helicopters fly in the sky during a rehearsal for a military parade Aug. 24 in Beijing.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: An SCO Summit, Rubio Closes Security Deals With Mexico and Ecuador

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a meeting on May 14, 2015, in Xian, China. 

While Trump-era tariff pressures offer a new economic incentive for cooperation, Beijing and New Delhi are unlikely to fully normalize ties due to enduring strategic and security concerns.

Despite Modest Improvement, India-China Relations Face Enduring Challenges

Bolivia

Israel

Palestinian Territories

An aerial view shows a campaign poster of Bolivian presidential candidate Samuel Doria Medina and his supporters marching during a rally in La Paz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, 2025.

The Weekly Rundown: Bolivian Elections, a Controversial Israeli Settlement Plan 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the "Winning the AI Race" summit hosted by All‑In Podcast and Hill & Valley Forum at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on July 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Relaxed U.S. export controls on key semiconductors will enable Chinese companies to accelerate their advancement of AI-focused chips.

How U.S. Export Concessions Could Boost China's AI Ambitions

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) looks at Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 30, 2018, during the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in the coming days.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: A Trump-Putin Summit, the Deadline for a U.S.-China Tariff Pause

A 3D modeled town in the shape of the Chinese flag.

Trade tensions will exacerbate China's excess savings problems, but the economic situation will remain manageable

Beijing Grapples With Deflation, Overinvestment as Tariff Pressures Mount

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., China: Trump Announces New 100% Tariff on China, Export Controls on Critical Software

Taiwan, China: Lai Tones Down China Rhetoric, Focuses on Economy

U.S., China: Trump Threatens Retaliation for China's Expanded Rare Earth Curbs

Mexico: Congress Pauses Discussions on Tariffs Targeting Chinese Goods

U.S., China: U.S. Considering Initial Determination That China's TP-Link Poses National Security Threat

China: New Rare Earth Export Controls Seek To Regulate Foreign Production

Vietnam, North Korea: Lam, Kim Hold Talks in Pyongyang

U.S., Malaysia: Trump Conditions ASEAN Summit Participation on Peace Ceremony

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